Hezbollah hit with exploding pagers, blames Israel
At least 11 people in Lebanon were killed, and 2,800 others were wounded
What happened
Exploding pagers killed at least 11 people in Lebanon on Tuesday, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounded about 2,800 others, health officials said. Hezbollah said it was the target of the attack and eight of its fighters were among the dead. Lebanon and Hezbollah blamed Israel. An American official told The Associated Press that Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — in which small amounts of explosives were reportedly hidden in the pagers and detonated remotely — after it was over.
Who said what
Thousands of pagers across Lebanon buzzed for a few seconds at 3:30 pm local time then exploded, reportedly after receiving a triggering message from Israeli intelligence. Hezbollah turned to pagers to communicate after its leaders warned in February that Israel could use cellphones to track and eavesdrop on fighters. The pagers were from a batch of about 5,000 Hezbollah ordered months ago, weaponized by Israel's Mossad before delivery, security forces told Reuters. They carried the Gold Apollo brand, but the owner of the Taiwanese company said these pagers were made under license by a company in Europe.
Two Hezbollah operatives had raised suspicions about the pagers, Al-Monitor said. Israel decided to detonate the devices rather than see its long-planned operation foiled, three U.S. officials recounted to Axios. "It was a use-it-or-lose-it moment," one U.S. official said. The original plan, a former Israeli official told Axios, was to blow up the pagers as a surprise blow in an all-out war against Hezbollah.
"We were not aware of this operation and were not involved," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. "We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians," Hezbollah said, and Israel will "for sure get its just punishment."
What next?
Israel's Security Cabinet threatened late Monday to escalate the tit-for-tat conflict with Hezbollah so thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes near the Lebanon border. After yesterday's bloodshed, Axios said, U.S. and Israeli officials suggested "Hezbollah could launch a major attack against Israel in revenge, or it could be deterred in the short term by the possibility that there might be more security breaches it doesn't know about and that Israel could exploit."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - January 19, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - moving to Canada, billionaire bootlickers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 inflammatory cartoons on the L.A. wildfires
Cartoons Artists take on climate change denial, the blame game, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The problems with the current social care system
The Explainer The question of how to pay for adult social care is perhaps the greatest unresolved policy issue of our time
By The Week UK Published
-
Palestinians and pro-Palestine allies brace for Trump
TALKING POINTS After a year of protests, crackdowns, and 'Uncommitted' electoral activism, Palestinian activists are rethinking their tactics ahead of another Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Has Gaza's 'safe zone' fallen apart?
Today's Big Question At least 12 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on the increasingly fragile al-Mawasi tent camp
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Netanyahu takes the stand in corruption trial
Speed Read He is Israel's first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What Assad's fall means beyond Syria
The Explainer Russia and Iran scramble to forge new ties with Syrian rebels as Israel seeks to exploit opportunities and Turkey emerges as 'main winner'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
The potential effects of Israel's ceasefire with Hezbollah
THE EXPLAINER With the possibility of a region-wide war fading, the Palestinian militant group Hamas faces increased isolation and limited options
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Israel and Hezbollah agree to ceasefire
Speed Read Both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'The arrest orders undermine the ICC's credibility'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published